Songs for the General Public
If it weren’t any more clear that The Lemon Twigs are loyal to classic-rock touchstones, then look no further than “Hell on Wheels,” the opening track to their third LP, where the Long Island, New York, duo of brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario manage to cram in Sparks’ rock-heavy pop, Jim Steinman-esque piano strut, and Bob Dylan vocal impersonations over a surging orchestral backdrop. Since they formed in 2015, the duo hasn’t been shy about tackling grand ideas and concepts; after all, they did write a rock opera about a chimpanzee raised by human parents (starring rock elder statesman Todd Rundgren as the father, no less) in 2018’s *Go to School*. But on *Songs for the General Public*, the brothers continue to revere ’70s power-pop songcraft with a theatrical bent—turning more inward as they come to realize that love and heartbreak go hand in hand. For every note-perfect guitar solo (“The One”), there are quirky, proggy touches of electric organ (“Only a Fool,” in which they keep things fun and upbeat as they shrug off romantic pursuits). On “Hog,” Brian cheekily laments the love he’s come to hate over a Badfinger-like power ballad: “Who is this hog? You once were an angel full of glitter/Now of shit.”
Classic-rock magpies, brothers Michael and Brian D’Addario construct a fabulously campy pastiche from the spangled castoffs of the 1970s.
The Lemon Twigs' hotly anticipated new album is a hopeful distraction to an otherwise bleak summer
The D'Addario brothers may be indifferent to their early theatrical successes, but album three is pure musical theatre – for good and ill
A paean to the past, full of lovelorn warmth, Zombies-on-a-road-trip harmonies and ridiculous piano jams.
It's been two years since the release of their 2018 rock opera, Go to School, but now — after a four-month delay brought upon by a pandemic...
All of a sudden, you feel your eyes and ears working again. You reach out and you touch the walls. Lights flash on brightly and you immediately realize you’ve been dropped into a house of mirrors. You walk up to a distorted looking glass and your body s
Brian and Michael D’Addario reconvene for another blast of surrealist glam pop, tearing apart their early 70s reference books for something a little
Madcap revivalists The Lemon Twigs return for another record of ridiculous glam, big melodies and tight trousers – it's very silly
Brian and Michael D'Addario, the multi-talented siblings who make up the Lemon Twigs, have certainly proven their songwriting and performing abilities with...
Songs For The General Public by The Lemon Twigs album review by Adam Fink. The full-length drops on August 21, via 4AD and streaming services